BBQ Christmas

Ok - so now you know that we are not traditionalists when it comes to celebrating the festive season. This year in a change of routine TeamSAK hosted lunch for MOS, DOS, WSTar and the Big M. We catch up with Ahubby's family tomorrow on Boxing Day. The menu today was as follows:

Nibbles while presents were exchanged : rice crackers, low fat hommus dip, olives, sundried tomatoes, macadamias and cashew nuts

Main: Assorted platters of carved small oven baked Turkey, fresh BBQ Atlantic salmon fillets marinated with dill and black pepper, BBQ prawns marinated in garlic, olive oil, pepper and parsley, eye fillet. Served with help yourself home made potato salad, crispy noodle salad ( raw bok choy, shallots, toasted pine nuts, noodles with a yummy dressing) and green garden salad with no dressing.

Dessert: choice of very small traditional plum pudding, pavlova topped with raspberries, blueberries and strawberries

Drinks: Illy coffee cappuccino with dessert , water, no sugar lemonade, mineral water, Savignon Blanc with meal.

Sounds a lot but actually it was quite a light day food wise. So light that we adjourned to the local park to play tippity cricket before dessert. For the record the wine was barely touched although I do confess to having 1.5 cm worth in my glass. A special treat given I am drug free at present.

We hope, that if you celebrate Christmas, that your day was wonderful. I am taking a short break from blogging and will be back early January . Take care, cherish each day with your family and friends and drop by periodically to see what TeamSAK are up to. We look forward to checking out your blogs upon our return.

Apprentice carpenter of the year

Well not quite but if there was an award for girls under 10 she would have been shortlisted. While Kingsley probably breached all occupational health and safety laws by wearing thongs she showed great woodwork skills in helping Ahubby rebuild the letterbox. The wooden catcher had rotted and was coming away from the brick wall. Fearlessly Ahubby went in and dismantled it only to discover it is actually quite difficult to find a galvanised replacement or for that matter a wooden one locally or even not so locally!

The only solution was to rebuild it. In a father- daughter bonding exercise they measured, planned, purchased, cut and hammered together a replacement letterbox and reattached it just in time for the mail delivery the next day.

Oh Christmas Tree

Just how many variations can there be of the humble Christmas Tree? Here are a sample Kingsley and I have found during recent outings. The Mirabella Sponsored tree at Federation Square in Melbourne and trees at Collins Place, Collins Street .

Then there is David - The Talking Tree at the Magic Santa Cave in David Jones. Once the children recover from the surprise of seeing the lips move they start up a conversation.

Six more sleeps 'til Christmas

The rate I am going I will need at least the 6 to be ready in time! No time for detailed blogging this week but there have been plenty of blog worthy happenings. Here is a synopsis for the week:

On Sunday morning while Ahubby was in his city office Kingsley and I attended Art Cart at the nearby National Gallery of Victoria. We are long term NGV members but the art/craft activities are free and open to any child. No visit to the Australian gallery is complete without checking out the Indigenous paintings. It was a huge milestone when Kingsley and I caught a bus home by ourselves after lunch. Who would have thought that something so trivial would become a significant achievement given how independent I used to be?

Monday morning saw us at the local Pacific Brands warehouse stocking up on bargain Bonds underclothes, t shirts and shorts. It felt good to be in the old S mode sourcing the required items at much less than RRP. We then headed to our favourite type of store - a bookstore- where both of us drooled over titles we would love to own. The afternoon was spent at home recovering from the outing and finishing off cards to make the late postal clearance. Approximately sixty now done with around 25 left to do . No wonder I have writer's cramp as I am not just content to write to and from around the pre printed message. Each one has a detailed personal handwritten note on the left hand side of the card.

Tuesday was a recovery day with the major outing being a 20 minute wait at the local post office to purchase stamps and lodge a mail redirection notice.

A dear old ( long term ) friend dropped in today for an easy salad and California roll lunch. I have known H since primary school and it was great to be able to host a catch up- albeit a brief one and not up to my usual hostess standards. Baby steps but getting closer to being back to my normal self.

Ahubby has been working in Sydney and heads back there on Friday for the day so we definitely have to make sure we wrap his pressie while he is away.

Today the wrap up commenced. Our lounge room floor is currently a collection of piles of presents for family and friends, rolls of paper, ribbons and cards. By Thursday night everything will be done even the detailed shopping list for the family festive feast.

Only six more sleeps 'til Christmas! With my bedtime still around 7.30 each night due to fatigue ( and the increasing daily activities) I have less than 60 hours of night sleep time with a few extra hours of afternoon naps thrown in before the big day. Yes Santa - I have been a very good girl this year!

A festive evening with ..............

Not sure if this breaches Blog etiquette but why do something second rate when first rate quality already exists?

Team SAK refer you to Fairlie's entry on our social outing last night. Pics and words that capture the event. We had a wonderful evening celebrating the yuletide spirit with the annual local Council "Carols by Candlelight". All three girls were well behaved and enjoyed the earlier activities of sliding down the embankment to the oval on pieces of cardboard.

I managed to stay awake until Captain Feathersword but walked home well before the arrival of Santa and the fireworks finale leaving Ahubby to enjoy the remainder of the evening with Kingsley and members of Chez Fairlie. Local dogs were quite excited and woke me with their barks. I managed to see part of the fireworks spectacle over the roof of the neighbouring houses.

Short stuff getting taller!

Kingsley's goal of getting taller than MOS is getting closer and closer. Ahubby and I had suspected she had grown recently when most jeans went from full length to crop length or "ankle freezers" over the last few months. My fabulous oncologist was kind enough to re - measure Kingsley today. Last time he did it in September she was 1.31 m tall. Today Kingsley is 1.37 m.

I would say MOS is destined to be the shortest in the family sometime in 2008!

The first Christmas letter

Love them or loathe them annual letters in cards are standard at this time of year. Dear friend Fairlie is a wizz at wordsmithing fabulous witty annual compilations. M over at EasternMax also sets the bar very high which is why I am too scared to publish a letter in the esteemed company of such talent.

Yesterday TeamSAK received the first , of what will hopefully be a lot of, Christmas letters. Retired friends interstate sent what could pass for a Walkley winning 2 page article. In a change from most others our male friend wrote it. While in no way inferring that we females are more talented in the communication stakes it was a great Christmas report that now keeps us waiting with bated breath for the 2008 version. It was a lovely mix of light witty humorous prose , factual info about travels and quiet reflection on the year that was.

Regardless of the standard TeamSAK love the thought the friends and family have taken the time to share their news with us. I voted for Christmas letters in Fairlie's blog poll. Fairlie and M - we can't wait for the postie to arrive with your masterpieces ( assuming we made the shortlist to receive this year's version!) . The pressure is on!

Footnote: TeamSAK will start this tradition next year as we will be struggling to get basic Christmas cards out on time given we are still writing thank yous for all the support, wishes and gifts received this year!

Schools out!

There must be some truth in the rumour that the more fees you pay the earlier school breaks up. Certainly applied when WStar and S were growing up and attending the local government schools as we never broke up for summer break until the very last Friday before Christmas.

Kingsley has started her holidays attending a Taekwondo birthday party for a dear friend from school. The girls had a wonderful time , coming home with a fabulous lolly bag and certificate of achievement. Ahubby and Kingsley spent the afternoon mowing the weeds in the front yard then heading out to the hills to attend a friend's pre Christmas/end of year get together while S spread out on the couch watching the PGA Golf in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast until she fell asleep.

Celebratory Coffee/Chocolate

Not it is not my age - just the table number at a local coffee shop. On a recent "good" morning Ahubby and I took Kingsley out for a hot chocolate prior to school drop off. A belated celebration for her performance in the end of year production.

Despite having eaten a healthy and filling breakfast at the house of TeamSAK, Kingsley managed to negotiate a chocolate croissant with her beverage. We sat outside at the rear of the shop which unfortunately backs onto the car park. The views are not as good as at other establishments but by all accounts the coffee and croissants are better. Kingsley was in her house sport uniform ready for an active day.

It's beginning to feel a lot like ......

Christmas at the house of TeamSAK! While the shops have begun the commercial aspects of the festive season for some time we don't start until 1 December. It was a TeamSAK effort to erect the tree ( yes I am guilty of a synthetic tree) and place the assortment of handmade and purchased decorations around the tree. Most of the decorating was left to Kingsley. All we need now is to start wrapping the presents and switch on the lights tonight.

Kingsley has submitted a colouring competition entry at the local supermarket and is now playing the Spirit of Christmas Myer charity CD raising funds for the Salvation Army. Ahubby received it in a Christmas card from a client.

Kingsley's Santa sack is already under the tree in anticipation of a visit from the man in red. Only 24 more days of the "Santa incentive for good behaviour" remain!

Break a leg Kingsley

A theatrical line to wish the performers good luck. Just back from the world premiere of "A Garden Story" created, written and produced by the TP - year 2 children at Kingsley's school. While every child aged 5 - 9 had at least one line eight children had main parts and featured in most scenes. They were allocated after an audition process. TeamSAK are very proud to advise that Kingsley had the main part of the girl character called Fern with multiple lines on every page of the script . She was also in the creative dance performance as part of a flock of birds - necessitating the speedy costume change between her main speaking part scenes.

After reading Fairlie's entry today I went equipped with tissues in the event motherly love and pride caused my eyes to leak. Was very proud but focused on getting a video of the one hour long performance so got through the production dry eyed. Did teeter on the edge during the finale but I will put that down to oncology treatment making me a little fragile!

A wonderful performance by all students. A good learning experience learning stage craft and using wireless mikes etc. Matinee performance is now over with an evening ( 5pm ) after school tomorrow. Mili came today and MOS, DOS get the ticket allocation Thursday.

Ahubby was on still digital photos today but the output was only marginally better than the triathlon video.

Necessity is the mother of invention

Just what do you do when a Sunday afternoon family gathering decides on a spontaneous session of backyard cricket and there is no cricket bat? While you start the innings with a tennis racket , the very talented DOS finds a lump of wood and makes a cricket bat in the garage. While manufacturers of premier willow bats don't have to worry quite just yet the fine piece of woodwork was responsible for a number of backyard sixes!

Triathlon Pink

Kingsley was determined to compete in today's 7-9 y.o kids race which was part of the Triathlon Pink series. It was only a few weeks ago the training wheels came off , the new 21 speed bike arrived last week and now the first tri registration. A great event run by T3 Events which was held at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Albert Park.

The swim was in the outdoor( but heated) pool used for the Commonwealth Games trials. The 1.5km bike headed out and around the golf driving range and the run weaved its way out toward Kerferd Road and back across the pink finish line.

Days like these are not about times or winning but more about participation. There were over 300 women of all shapes, sizes and ages. In the kids' race, Kingsley exited the water in first place almost beating me to transition so I could get a photo! The race then evened out with all the girls smiling , having fun and doing their best. Kingsley finished with a smile- not first - not last- just proud to be a Pinkie!

Ahubby was in charge of the video. Let's just say he is more accustomed to racing than spectating and has room to improve in capturing the activity on film. S, who has years of spectator experience, captured the excitement of the event in 25 still shots. I would love to upload them all here but as there are children I am conscious of protecting privacy etc. Here are two which show you Kingsley , without really showing you Kingsley! Photo 1- part of the row of girls ready for the swim start. Kingsley is centre. Photo 2 - Kingsley just after mounting the bike and starting out of the ride.

Champagne and chocolates

How lucky can a girl get? Dear friends Fairlie and Impossible Princess dropped by bearing gifts to celebrate the latest milestone in the treatment cycle. Fabulous selection of chocolates from a premier chocolatier David Medlow with a beautifully written card featuring champagne! Looking forward to enjoying the treat with friends when the side effects from treatment wear off.

A Paid Chat

Those who know me , know that I am never backward in coming forward, like a chat and am prepared to voice my opinion and justify it when necessary. Given all that it was very exciting to be asked by my bank to participate in some research. It was only at the completion of the one on one 1.25 hour interview in my own lounge room that I was told it was a paid chat. The bank are donating $150 to a charity of my choice. No hesitation in nominating the Anti Cancer Council as the recipient.

A very productive afternoon all around while lounging in airconditioned comfort at home. However, I suspect my file is now marked with an asterix and a do not call again sticker!

Drug Yuletide

I've had festive season greetings from a few businesses I've dealt with in the past but this was a first. You know that you have spent too much time and money at the chemist when they wish you yuletide greetings before the end of November! Hope their profits won't be down next year if TeamSAK doesn't need to visit for the regular stockpile.

Three more days of the final chemo schedule of this treatment cycle left! With temperatures forecast to hit mid to high 30's Celsius it is perfect timing for a ( legally) drug affected S to settle inside in the lounge, draft a few blog entries, write a few Christmas cards in readiness for a December post, plan the Christmas present list, phone friends, read a good book ( but will miss Bookclub again!), have a few naps and probably be an environmental vandal by putting the air conditioner on.

Roll on Christmas when TeamSAK can celebrate the end of a very difficult year.

Give me a home amongst the gumtrees

Or so the song goes - only wish I could remember the title and rest of the words to give full credit. I do recall there was " a sheep or two and a kangaroo" with an old rocking chair.

This picture taken while seated on the front porch ( but not on a rocking chair) enjoying the beautiful day. Top of 28 degrees Celsius and it feels like we have reached it . While it is not the country views some of my friends enjoy or the water views from the holiday house it is also not a concrete suburbia. Very lucky to live in a green part of the State only 5km to the capital city.

Hope the weekend is just as perfect as today. Have a good weekend!

Just tri it!

Until recently, Ahubby was a fairly committed triathlete competing as an age grouper in mainly long course events with very good results. He raced Australian Ironman 4 times and each time qualified for world championships held in Kona Hawaii. He raced the Hawaiian Ironman twice, pulling out prior due to a bike crash injury during training in the third year and deciding to decline his registration spot in the fourth year. Averages 9hrs 30 mins for the Australian Ironman for the 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2 km run. He is also a past age group winner at the Noosa Triathlon which is an olympic distance race and also at the Half Ironman distance.

This year he has been so busy looking after TeamSAK that training and competition has fallen by the wayside. Kingsley has now decided she wants to do the Weetbix Kids Triathlon next year and has asked Ahubby to help her train.

Kingsley did a 5km ride on the weekend while pacing Ahubby on his first training run in a long time. Video shot by S on a little pocket digital camera which I have done before and uploaded with success but I had problems with the upload on Blogger as well. Let's hope it works!

Report Card- Needs to Improve

If it was a test you could study for the S would have passed with flying colours! Yesterday's blood test results were not quite good enough to start the next cycle of treatment. Have been given permission to resit the test Friday so fingers crossed I can start on Saturday. Hopefully the next report card is better.

The Things You See in Suburbia

TeamSAK were enjoying a fine Melbourne Saturday munching on a "gourmet" lunch when we heard the unmistakable clip clop of horse feet. Ok - we live in a fairly green area with a river at the end of the street but for all intents and purposes we are "inner city". Kingsley and I grabbed our hats and sunnies and headed out to investigate.

Two horse drawn carriages were waiting patiently for their passengers. A collection of interested neighbours gathered , while the kids patted the horses, watched them being fed and having their "poo bags" attached. An extra long white stretch limousine arrived and the gig was up.

It wasn't an elaborate children's party activity but the transport for a very beautiful bride and her 6 attendants. None of us knew her or of her but we all wished her well. The Bride left for the church a mere 40 minutes after the scheduled departure.

The Coffee Aroma

One of my favourite smells is that of freshly ground coffee so it has been a severe disappointment that I have been unable to contemplate partaking in this drug over the last 9 months. With a more normal sense of smell and taste returning the lure of Aromas at Noosa on the weekend was too much.

Team SAK broke all our principles and sat in the Parisian style chairs facing Hasting Street enjoying a tourist priced coffee fix. Given my new inability to finish a cup I have taken to having coffee served in take away cups even while dining in . This cafe is a place to see and be seen and for that reason we rarely frequent it. While yet again I had to take one third of the drink away we actually had fun watching the passing parade of beautiful people, elite athletes, AFL and ARL footballers, ultra fit triathletes, business tycoons, grandparents babysitting toddlers and men pushing prams.

Wonder if they were thinking - "Oh look - there's TeamSAK!" while we were watching them.

The Kindness of (Almost ) Strangers

On Sunday TeamSAK had the pleasure of meeting a cyber colleague in person. One of the websites S frequents is a triathlon related forum called Transitions. I have been a member of this since its inception in May 2003 and have met a few friends on the way . Hello Foxy and Ronnie!

Hellman ( online aka) is one of the many members. He very kindly extended an invitation to any Transitions member to drop by and say hi at the Cube HomeLoans marquee at the Noosa Triathlon on the weekend. With new found bravado I walked in and introduced myself ( and online persona) to Mrs Hellman. Kingsley had great fun hanging out with the Hellman kids and we enjoyed meeting our cyber colleagues.

Ahubby wasn't racing this year and found the whole spectator thing a little difficult so it was good to have a spot with some cover to watch the events of the triathlon unfold. A big thank you to the Hellmans and Cube Home Loans for wonderful hospitality and TeamSAK look forward to returning the favour and hosting you to a meal the next time you are in Noosa.

Landing in the cold

Not quite the scenic coast line we see flying into the Sunshine Coast but still some special views as you arrive back.

The first one is a favourite view with the blue skies and blanket of white cloud beneath the plane.

The second picture was the plane descending into Tullamarine airport in Melbourne upon our return home. Even through the cloud and perspex window you can see how devastingly dry the land is. Temperature was a little cooler than on the Sunshine Coast too!

Flying high into Sunshine

Last minute decision and TeamSAK headed to our Sunshine Coast home on Saturday 3 Oct for some sunshine, R & R and to support friends competing in the 25th Anniversary Noosa Triathlon Festival. ( More on that in a later post!)

No matter how many times we fly into Maroochydore I still am in awe of the coast line and the physics that enable a plane laden with fuel ,people and luggage to fly and land safely. This time I had my little Nikon Coolpix S8 in my handbag and took this shot through the dirty plane window.

The monolith in the distance is Mount Coolum and Noosa is at the top of the photo.

Movember- One for the boys

We all have a dad and some of us have brothers and sons as well. November is now Movember. A special promotion to raise funds and awareness of men's health issues with particular emphasis on Prostate cancer and Depression. In the interests of equality I had to give equal blog time to this cause as I had previously mentioned Breast Cancer during October.

Here's to a very hairy month. TeamSAK will be supporting 4 male teachers at Kingsley's school who are growing moustaches for Movember.

Collaborative art

Last night Kingsley and I briefly attended the opening of the annual art fair at school. It was wonderful to see the extent, variation and depth of art created by all students from 3 year old to 12 years in age. Because of the nature of their International Baccalaureate PYP program there was a lot of emphasis on integration of the units of enquiry and a collaborative approach in the art curriculum. Kingsley had a charcoal etching of a bug on a leaf and her tree sculpture on show as well has her contribution to the joint work pictured below.

It is an interpretation of the new adventure garden and dry creek bed at school which the children helped plant and install. The inhabitants are imaginary creatures the children invented and wrote poems about. It was presented on a transparent background and in real life is quite impressive with the detail and definitions.

1967 - a very good year!

Funny thing about the fact that everyone born in '67 is now celebrating turning the big 40! Today is no exception and another wonderful person has reached this milestone. Sending very happy birthday wishes to Ronnie . The party is scheduled for Saturday night and I am so disappointed not to be able to get there to help her celebrate after being lucky enough to score an invitation. Looking forward to plenty of stories and photos on your blog next week!

A cyber bunch of flowers for the birthday girl.

Flip'n Monkeys

Such a simple concept but such an addictive activity. Kingsley was lucky to receive a set of Flip-N-Stack Monkeys for her birthday. The aim is to use a small springboard to flip a monkey with magnetic hands and feet onto the board or onto another monkey. Don't tell anyone but while Kingsley is at school there will be a bit of secret training going on so I am at least competitive when we play together. Thankfully this activity can also be done in a solo capacity giving Kingsley hours of fun.

Another new activity was a variation on a ball called a ZeeBee. Once I have mastered that I will post a blog entry.

A week goes by

For the first time since starting this blog there has been no post for a week. Memo to S- lift your game and get back to blogging! This time of year TeamSAK has a number of family birthdays to celebrate so plenty of ideas for future blogs!

Kingsley turned 8. On Saturday instead of a party she enjoyed a friendship afternoon with a few friends, watched a DVD, ate homemade popcorn and Drumstick ice creams, made their own healthy pizzas for a gourmet dinner followed by the obligatory ice cream birthday cake. We intend to do more of these extended playdate afternoons with more friends before Christmas.

On Sunday morning we celebrated the combined birthday of Kingsley's aunt, twin cousins T1 and T2 as well as her own. Their brother TB joined us but slept on the floor after only getting in from a nightclub at 7 am that morning. Of course the start of daylight saving and putting clocks forward an hour didn't help either. Oh to be young again!

The afternoon was set aside for S's side of the family to celebrate Kingsley turning the big 8. All in all a big weekend of family gatherings and far too much rich food but it was so good to be able celebrate and make the event special for Kingsley.

Vicarious Parties

Missed being involved in person in a lot of things this year and unfortunately yesterday there was another. Weather temperature of 33 C and the effect of 5 days of chemo meant I was left home alone. The son of very close friends turned 1 and the event was celebrated in style with family and friends at a local park. Kingsley and Ahubby represented TeamSAK and partied on from 2 to 5 pm.

There is always a solution to most problems. I attend these functions vicariously and relived the excitement with candid digital photos Kingsley took on my behalf. I even managed to join in singing Happy Birthday as Ahubby called me when the candles were lit.

Happy Birthday dear sweet Aris!! Looking forward to playing with you, your new toys and reading your new books.

If Only

If only my legs were as long as those in the shadow. Shorter torso and longer legs but genetically it was not meant to be. At 132 cm I predict within a few years Kingsley will be taller than me ( a compact 160cm) thanks to Ahubby's genetic input. Don't know the metric equivalent but he is 6ft 2 or 3 in the old school.

In primary school I was one of the tallest girls then the others caught up and passed me. Being a little height deprived has some limitations which is why Ahubby hides the good chocolates on the top shelf of the pantry. It is also why I get to paint the bottom of the fence and get the front row of any family photo.

Someone once told me that good things come in small packages but then added "But- so does arsenic". Happy with how I am but if only my legs were longer!

Amortising the cost of drugs

Never had much to do with doctors, specialists, hospitals, drugs until this year so it was a steep learning curve working our way through the medical bureaucracy with Medicare, private health insurance, chemists and regular pathology and radiology services.

The PBS ( or Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) has finally been of use to us but only because "luckily" I had the right illness. The accountant in me has come out and I found the analysis of the cost of the medication interesting. Without getting too numeric here are the results.

Each of the days while taking chemo I need one anti nausea and 3 x chemo tablets. The full cost of the anti nausea tablets is $120.41. That's for 5 tablets each of 5 mg each equating to $4.816 per mg. Thankfully as it is listed on PBS this costs TeamSAK only $30.70.

The full cost of the chemo each cycle is $2480.05 for 15 tablets each of 100mg. This calculates to $1.6 per mg. Again as it has recently been listed on PBS it only costs TeamSAK $30.70.

I find it amazing that the anti nausea , which I would willing pay full cost for as it appears to work reasonably well, is more expensive per mg than the cytotoxic chemotherapy which is hopefully doing its job on the Big C.

If there are any errors in the calculations let me know- as an accountant I can always make 2 plus 2 equal 5 !

Off with the wheels

Kind of fitting given the emphasis on cycling this month with the Round the Bay , Tour Down Under , Melbourne Cycling Festival and National Ride to Work Day that Kingsley has met another milestone.

Until last weekend and through no fault of her own and despite the fact that Ahubby is a talented cyclist, Kingsley still had training wheels on. She has not been on her bike for nearly 2 years ( due to broken arms last year and our situation this year) and decided that she was going to lose the kiddie wheels before her birthday next week.

Two short attempts later and in her own words Kingsley has "now mastered it"!

Another Inability

Just when I thought it was safe to start re-planning my social life this week when chemo gets in the way. In a perfect world, chemo should have started today but the last few cycles have been delayed by a week due to blood count results. Having resigned myself to another delay the good news is I am back on schedule and restarted today - the bad news is I miss book club tonight and another possible social outing on Thursday. These would have been my first outings since February.

Friends of ours are publicly launching their new venture David Medlow Chocolates at the Melbourne store on Thursday night. A media and PR event with some minor celebrities in attendance and now I miss out on what would have been a chocoholic's dream and a possible chance to be photographed by the celebrity press. Hopefully Ahubby will still attend in case there are any sample bags handed out!

Long Distance Swimming

S is pleased to announce that Kingsley did a PB ( personal best) today at swimming. Between the laps during her lesson and those swum afterwards with Ahubby, Kingsley covered a distance of 1000 metres with a combination of freestyle , back and breast stroke. It would have been further if we didn't need to leave the pool. Next week she wants to swim further and beat the 1 kilometre mark. Watch out Susie Maroney!

The Tunnel

No - unfortunately it is not a fun theme park ride! Today was another MRI tunnel ride for me. While I had fabulous technicians and first rate care at Cabrini, Malvern having a MRI is not really top of my list of things to do on Wednesday morning. It's not the claustrophobic issues of being inside a cylinder that worry me . Have you ever tried to remain completely still for 20 minutes? Today I relaxed so much that I was almost asleep when the procedure concluded.

If you want to learn more about MRI and see a machine check out How Stuff Works. Lucky the current ultra slim version of S fits inside the tunnel with plenty of room to spare!

The Counting House

No wonder the Mint has to make more coins! Ahubby has been accumulating his own personal collection in his coin jar/bin and has taken a lot out of circulation. After borrowing coin bags from the local bank Kingsley and Ahubby started the mammoth task of physically counting all the money. ( The Queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey or so the nursery rhyme goes doesn't it?)

Last time we emptied out the money box we had enough cash to buy a new washing machine and this time it wasn't far behind. With $722 , Kingsley is scheming that there is enough for a new Ipod and some CDs as well! All that needs to be done now is to transport the very heavy loot off to the bank.

Hair today - gone tomorrow!

Part of the back to school routine is the traditional haircut on the last day of holidays. Kingsley has just changed hairdressers and now uses Mal Bradley. We are thrilled with the results. Great staff , good cuts, complimentary cappuccinos and hot chocolates with reasonable prices . Friday's adventure started with Kingsley having a luxurious hair shampoo and head massage while sitting at the basin with all the other big girls.




The start of the comb and blow dry. Kingsley was very excited to be sitting in the big chair alongside other women having the weekly blow dry/set and colour touch up.

Finally the cutting begins.

The finished product and Kingsley leaves the salon 60 minutes later, hair looking fabulous like a model and no longer my little baby that entered the salon with her hair in plaits. Best part was it was only $25 for the star treatment. Thank you Jess for making Kingsley feel so special!

Given Kingsley was looking so "glam" we just had to adjourn to the nearby cafe/bistro for a celebratory morning tea. So why a post on something as basic as a haircut? S is just looking forward to the day ( post chemo/treatment) that she can enjoy the luxury of a haircut just like Kingsley! Amazing what you take for granted and you only realise it when you can't do it any longer.

Bag full of Show

About 8.45am a courier arrived with a rather large box addressed to me. Inside were the infamous Royal Melbourne Show Bags that were part of my Herald Sun prize. I had thought there was 4 ie one for each party on the entry ticket. However, nine bags arrived.

In typical accounting fashion Kingsley and I quickly checked out the website to see what the sale value was. To buy these would have cost around $55 but some claim to have much more than their sale price in value included. In addition we received a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children to view the new animated movie 'Surfs Up" at the cinema. Full retail value of that is around $50 as well. Not a bad return for one online competition entry.

To top off our day we also won $2 on a Tattersalls scratchie. Kingsley found a dollar coin so we thought we would try our luck and ended up with an extra dollar!.

Handyman Hubby

Ahubby is extremely talented when it comes to his paid employment but owing to time ( and talent) constraints TeamSAK need to outsource many home maintenance issues. One thing we both do at our holiday home is the annual oiling of the balcony and pool decking. This year we outsourced this job due to my health.

However during our recent visit Ahubby repainted the BBQ cabinet which had started to look weathered after 4 years of ownership. He then thoroughly cleaned the entire BBQ and hotplate ready for a succulent dinner.

Have to give full credit to Ahubby. No one can BBQ fish like him. I tend to overcook it but Ahubby gets it perfect every time. We had the most devine, melt in the mouth BBQ Barrumundi served with freshly made salads.

Just my luck!

Sitting on our Queensland holiday shack balcony watching the blue waters of the bay meet the perfect blue sky on the horizon when the mobile phone rang . A very nice lady from The Sunday Herald Sun rang to tell me I had won a prize! A family pass valued at $75 to the Royal Melbourne Show along with a few free showbags. How exciting! What a thrill and what a disappointment! Ahubby and Kingsley had already been and paid for their own admission the previous weekend and the show finished while we would still be away.

S never enters competitions due to privacy aspects and fears of continuous junk mail. After my life changing year I thought I might try something new and entered the competition online (via a new hotmail address of course). Just my luck however that the first time I enter , I win, but can't use the tickets!

Some lucky neighbours with 3 children scored the admission tickets but said the office had run out of the showbags. Received another call today from the Royal Agricultural Society to say my free showbags had not been collected! They are now being posted out to us and will be the subject of a later blog entry. Maybe my luck is changing after all!

Odd Thong Out

Just back from our Sunshine Coast break. Great weather, fabulous food and restaurants, good friends staying with us ( Fairlie and Co) and Havaianas. Actually S was the odd one out with 3 year old pink $5 thongs from a discount store pictured above. Ahubby has his black ones and Kingsley has now joined the trendy set with her white and pink heart ones. Even Fairlie, Poolboy, Queenie and Impossible Princess were in the designer footwear action with Crocs and Havaianas.

After 5 days of being influenced by these trendsetters S finally relented and purchased a new pair of thongs. The $AUD 23 investment better be a good one and if I get blisters from the new thongs you will hear about it!

Hi Ho Hi Ho It's off to holidays we go

Thought I would let my loyal readers ( all 7 of you) know that there won't be much blogging action for a while. Assuming no major hiccups between now and when the plane departs tomorrow TeamSAK will be heading out of state for a very short break. Rather exciting when the furthest I had previously gone this year was the next suburb for my oncologist visit. Not taking the laptop either so will catch up with everyone else's news upon our return.

Kingsley and I are off to pack while Ahubby is working in Sydney. Bon voyage.

Happy anniversary - or is it?

Ahubby , bless his soul, gave me a wedding anniversary gift at 5.30 am before heading off to the airport. A silver package wrapped with a ribbon containing a sterling silver Georg Jensen locket. It was a contemporary design in the shape of half a heart. When the locket is open the full heart is revealed. Eleven years of wedded bliss and despite all the best intentions Ahubby still can't get the date right!

Not that it is really his fault. Even I get confused ( and not because of the brain tumour!). After checking the wedding certificate Ahubby declared the official day is tomorrow 27th September. I guess he gets bonus points for being early and having a gift.

The confusion arises because we eloped in New York after attending a friend's wonderful 3 day wedding in Monaco. We both knew it was a Friday and the day before the AFL Grand Final. In early December that year we held what we called a wedding celebration in the scenic grounds and restaurant at Delgany Portsea . It was there we announced to surprised family and friends that we had been already married nearly 3 months earlier.

Eureka- I've found it!

Have lost track of the number of times TeamSAK have walked the streets to school or the shops. Shows how much you take things for granted. Yesterday it took Kingsley to point out the Eureka Tower on our way home. It's the tallest one in the city skyline- only wish the power lines didn't obscure it in the photo.

Before my medical mishap this year Ahubby and I were seriously looking at Eureka Functions for a combined "significant" milestone birthday party.

A tourist attraction has now also opened . It is called The Edge and is a glass cube which project out 3 metres from the building approximately 300 metres from the ground. Not for the faint hearted or those afraid of heights! Who said there is no adventure in Melbourne? Experiencing the Edge is on our list of things to do.

Tea for Two ( or Three)

Day one of the school holidays and the most exciting thing Kingsley and I did was head to the local shops for morning tea. Quite an achievement in itself despite the fact it is only a 10 minute walk. Both of us are renowned for not finishing drinks so always ask for them in paper cups so we can take them away. Of course the obligatory mixed berry muffin to share was also ordered today but 1/3 of it ended up in a bag coming home with us as well. Poor Ted ( who was won at the Royal Melbourne Show by Ahubby on Sunday) just looked on , with those pleading eyes, desperate to sample the fare!

Showday Sunday

It was a coming of age for Kingsley today when Ahubby took her on her first visit to the Royal Melbourne Show. Having finished another strong cycle of chemo yesterday I would not have been able to walk around the large showgrounds and check out all the exhibits so stayed home alone. Next year I will be there!

I last went as a child with friends of the family who were dairy farmers and members of the Royal Agriculture Society who put on the annual show. I loved the animal enclosures, livestock, wood chopping events , equestrian events and of course the showbags. I suspect today there is a much greater commercial focus and less on the agriculture, crafts and cooking displays. Sadly, owing to the equine flu there are no horses this year. Kingsley has gone off clutching her $5 pocket money so I am guessing a (small) showbag will come home!

Breakfast like a King

The saying goes along the lines of "Breakfast like a King, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper" to set yourself up for the day and contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

On the weekend TeamSAK ran into triathlon friends we haven't seen for a while. Flip is another of my talented, competent and inspirational friends who has achieved a great deal. While I never intend for this blog to be commercial in any way I will proudly share the accomplishments of family and friends via these entries. Check out Flip's Muesli and her website ! You can also see her on some forthcoming TV shows going to air shortly.

100 not out!

A blogging milestone is being made today! 100 posts since starting this blog in mid June 2007. It is all due to Fairlie and M who encouraged me to take up this hobby and provided critical guidance in the early days. Thank you learned masters from little Grasshopper.

The next goal to is to find enough interesting material to make the 150 post mark before the end of the year.

Kid's Presents

Seems like Kingsley has a better social life than her parents. Almost every weekend there is a birthday party to attend for one of her school friends. It will surprise none of my friends that I like to be organised and usually think of a boy and a girl present idea at the start of the year and bulk buy for present pile. This way when the invites roll in it is a simple matter of going to the basement selecting the correct sex pile and wrapping the pressie ready to go. This year is a little different.

Given the demographics of our area most children really don't need any material items. This year some of Kingsley's friends have received membership to the PawPrints Club of the RSPCA as part of their gift. It is more of a community based present and obviously only suited to children with an active interest in animals. It is also a gift that keeps on giving by helping the organisation and by the child receiving quarterly magazines etc in addition to the fun welcome kit. The children seem to love receiving items in the mail as well.

The Inner Child

Ok I confess that I am just a big kid. This morning on my daily walk I took some time to "rest" at the local playground at the end of our street. Had a quick swing until the motion sickness settled in on top of this morning's chemo and even crawled through the red tunnel. I lay briefly down on the slide to enjoy the sunshine and imagined the animal shapes in the clouds above. It was so disappointing to have to leave to allow a group of toddlers to have their turn! Let's hope the inner child returns tomorrow.

Rain on the Sunshine Coast

Recent "once in a century " storms on the Sunshine Coast caused extensive damage to homes. Seems even TeamSAK were not immune. This is picture of what once was a pristine almost new internal garage roof of a house built to withstand low category cyclones! With nearly a metre of rain there was always the risk of some water penetration but we thought it may have come in via the garage door and not the roof. Needless to say our friendly insurance company are now on the case to assess this and the rest of the damage ! In the interim we have been granted $500 emergency funds to enable us to open the front door which has been damaged and can't open due to swollen water damaged internal floor boards. Guess that is why we pay insurance premiums for situations like this.

For the record thankfully the car which was parked in the garage was not damaged when the roof fell onto it!

My Friends are diamonds!

I am so lucky to have wonderful friends and family who have been so supportive during this year's journey. There is a saying that "True friends are like diamonds , precious and rare. False friends are like Autumn leaves- found everywhere!" TeamSAK are blessed with a quarry full of diamonds!

Unbeknownst to one of my "diamonds" Ronnie , I was a feeling flat as chemo had been delayed yet again. A surprise package arrived in the mail filled with fun items that bought a smile to my face. A packet of Minties ( it's moments like these you need .........) , a TimeOut bar ( we all need timeout ) and a Kit Kat ( have a break with ....). The thought and kindness of the gesture certainly brightened my day.

Rock Challenge

Our niece T1 has been rehearsing continuously most of the year with the school ensemble. Their school participates in the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge. A drug free event celebrating the creativity and skills of secondary school students. T1's school did very well in the early rounds and made the open finals held on Thursday 13 September.

WStar and I took Kingsley into Vodafone Arena to watch part of the production and to support T1. We sat near T2, TB , Mili and Phili and Kingsley's aunt TL. We saw 2 primary schools present their exhibition performances then watched 5 of the 12 senior open schools present their productions. Unfortunately we couldn't stay for T1's school as they were not scheduled until well after 10.15pm which was after all our bedtimes! . The order was only determined that morning and it was risk we took when we arranged the tickets weeks ago.

Even our short attendance gave Kingsley an overview of the talent various state and private school students could show. We understand there may be a TV production screening in early December and will keep our eyes open for that.

Drought proof trees

This morning was the annual student led portfolio conference discussion at Kingsley's school. This is run by the students who present a portfolio of their work covering all subjects to their parents. Our session also included a visit to the art room to see the tree sculptures. The metallic representation, mounted on a trunk offcuts, was prepared based on sketches the children had done of living trees in the school yard. Looks like a lot of the trees in our yard!

Springtime

My fellow bloggers Fairlie , M from EasternMax and Ronnie have inspired me to add to the spring fever blog entries. Their photos capture elements of spring- the blue Melbourne skies and the floral output. Being unable to nuture a garden I won't be posting a floral tribute. Being housebound in the House of Germs I was limited to walking to the end of our street which backs onto the river. Was lucky enough to capture some school children doing rowing practice. Yes- the river is always that brown colour!

Honey Joys

What do you get if you combine melted butter, sugar, honey and cornflakes? The classic treat called Honey Joys. Sad to say that S has never made them and it was left to Nanny Danny to make them with Kingsley after school today.

House of Germs

If it has been quiet on the blogging front lately it is because no one in TeamSAK has been feeling their usual bubbly and chirpy selves. Poor Kingsley started the reign of germs with a few bad days with a chesty cough complicated by the fact she has 3 loose teeth and another just cutting through the gum. Now Ahubby has been struck down by a dreaded lurgy. For the first time in Kingsley's lifetime Ahubby has taken sick leave for an illness. Drugged and tired he has adjourned to the spare bedroom to let nature and bag full of ( legal) drugs do their work.

The good news is that S passed her chemo related blood test this week ( without even studying!) and provided there are no dramas/illness between now and the next test on Monday should be back on chemo next Wednesday.

Dad's Day

Best wishes to all the dads who enjoyed being spoilt by their families today. In the house of TeamSAK we don't need a special day to tell Ahubby we love him and that he is a great dad. In a small concession to the commercialism of Fathers Day we gave Ahubby a new long sleeve top and 2 iTunes cards to fill his iPod with more songs. Kingsley and Ahubby also enjoyed pancakes for breaky.

DoS and Phili also got special attention.

Jazz Sounds

While Kingsley is not quite ready for the Noosa Jazz Festival being held this weekend she is now on her way. After diligently participating in recorder lessons she has mastered reading music and can even play Greensleeves . After a trial lesson with both the flute and clarinet she is now learning the Clarinet while continuing with violin as part of class instrumental. Benny Goodman , a true master of clarinet, jazz and swing, started playing when he was 10 years old so Kingsley has a bit of a headstart! Her first official lesson was yesterday.

Travelling by postcard

Although currently stuck in our home state members of TeamSAK have been travelling by postcards. A selection of our recent postal deliveries are shown above. C&R have just returned from their annual 4 month European tour. We have been updated about the wonders of England, Italy, France and then home via Asia. My pen pal Ingrid has returned to the pen and sent a postcard from the family's summer break in Devon. Not to be outdone MoS and DoS kept us updated about their follow the sun caravan trek including the flood dramas at Noosa! Can't wait until TeamSAK pack our bags and head off on our own holiday capers.

Building an education

In my day we were lucky to have classes in a demountable or portable classroom. Heating or cooling was unheard of, the school gym was a converted classroom and an environmentally sustainable building was years away. Kingsley's primary school has been undergoing a massive building project for the last 18 months and it is nearly over. She is already enjoying new high tech, modern airy classrooms with its own cooking area, wet area for artwork and roomy environment. The Education centre ( partly pictured- too large to fit one frame!) which will house years 3-6, a new sports hall, performance area, science wing, music, drama and art rooms is scheduled to open next term. The old wings, with their rich history , will be demolished and the oval, ( which was where the new building now is!) will be reinstated in their place.